Air Preparation

A sawmill purchased a VSD compressor to renew its compressed air system and gain savings.  The equipment was installed, commissioned and was running for a number of weeks before a compressed air expert visited the site. The first thing he did was go to the compressors and read the load and operating hours.  Compressor controllers […]

Sometimes in compressed air systems there will be “high flow, short duration demands” consuming large gulps of compressed air for short periods of time.  This could be a dust collector, a drain, a compressed air blowing device, a large cylinder, or a material transport system — just about anything can happen. When high flow demands […]

When it comes to compressed air, the word “lower” is often used in describing actions to take in implementing energy savings measures.  The key is to do certain actions that will lower the electrical bill and the resulting operating and maintenance costs.  Here are some common actions: Pressure — Every 2 psi in lower compressed […]

When connecting and piping in air compressors, it pays to be careful with piping arrangement to ensure there are no areas of restriction.  The pictured piping element is just one example.  The installer did a good job in installing a 45° angle entry to the header, which is a great idea for any entry into […]

There are certain things out in the plant that can rob you blind, sucking up money through the electrical bill.  One of these things is a compressed air crime we jokingly call a stickup. Often vents and ducts on process machinery become clogged with debris over time.  Sometimes personnel, not knowing the high cost of […]

In dirty and hot environments, if you want a clean and reliable compressed air flow you need to heed these suggestions.  You need to keep your equipment clean, cool, and dry through regular maintenance. Allowing debris to build up on system components is a recipe for disaster, especially if the equipment is air cooled and […]

I get it — you and your staff are busy and being asked to do more with less.  When this happens, things will start to slide.  One of the first items on the list is maintenance, and often you can get away with this for a period of time … but eventually a critical failure […]

Not very often does something come truly free, but if you are working with compressed air in any way, you should know about the MEASUR tool. It is offered by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy division. The software is offered as follows and includes 12 calculators for compressed […]

Portable electronic measuring instruments have been indispensable in capturing compressed air system baselines over the past number of years. Rarely are there enough permanent instruments installed at a typical industrial plant to use to get a clear picture of how well the compressors and dryers are operating. Very often, all a compressed air auditor finds […]